For expecting moms in correctional facilities, pregnancy can be an acutely scary time. We are proud to have opened a nursery at the Women’s Easter Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, Missouri, so that incarcerated mothers and their babies can keep their transformational, necessary bond.
CMCA provided the staff and caregiver training, provided furniture for the nursery and activity bags for prenatal moms and infants, started a “Mommy and Me” class focused on parenting skills and parent-child interactions, and opened a clothing closet for new moms through our Women and Infant Relief Fund.
Through this program, incarcerated moms can keep their newborns with them from birth to 18 months. Each mom and child has a private room as well as access to indoor and outdoor play areas. Each mom gets one-on-one support from an assigned caregiver, another inmate who has been trained for the role.
